


State of the Art

by blue_wynter



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 07:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11331492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wynter/pseuds/blue_wynter
Summary: Gaining consciousness in the arms of a pretty boy after a prison break is not how I expected my life to go. Honesty, I might as well feign unconsciousness a while more. But there's a lot of stuff I want to know.I open my eyes and stare at the boy's face. He held his breath."I suggest you take a breath." And, as usual, I'm an asshole.





	State of the Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura senses a human nearby and only notifies Coran and Keith about it. In the beginning, the princess seemed hesitant on informing Keith but eventually decides it is the best since Shiro's disappearance. Coran and Keith seem perked by that Intel and together go on a quest to find out more on the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's in Keith's POV.

I knew I was awake. But it all felt like a dream.

Shiro's disappearance is the most recent incident, yet, it took place a week ago. Everyone was silent. No one spoke through meals. Everything felt distant, unreal even.

Ten ticks have passed since Coran intruded my thoughts by knocking on the door of my quarter. My gaze shifted nimbly to the iron door. I sensed the man growing impatient at my ignorance. However, I remained silent at his summons.

He unlocked the door despite my silence. "I apologize for intruding your privacy, Paladin. But the Princess requires your presence." His eyes skimmed through my quarter and most likely assumed I was sleeping.

I sat on my bunk and grudgingly stood up. "What's the matter?" I asked the redhead as we advanced to the corridor.

"I'm not sure," he twisted his fingers through the mustache, "Allura wouldn't tell me. Said she'd explain everything when I got you."

I frowned, "what about the other Paladins?"

His stare met mine, "she only mentioned you." I frowned in confusion as a response.

When we entered the Bridge, I questioned Allura with impatience. She inspected the universal star-map before her attention drifted to Coran and I.

"It seems that I have discovered new powers within me," she stared at the palm of her hand, "and I can sense specific life forces." As she approached, I noticed that exhaustion painted her features. "I can sense Zarkon's life force." Anger and displeasure slowly conquered my senses upon hearing those words. "It's weak, very weak. But it's still existent."

"How, how is that possible?" Coran seemed surprised.

After everything we've done and, yet, it's not enough. How are we supposed to keep going? Shiro is gone and the black lion doesn't even have a Paladin. Furthermore, I'm supposed to lead Team Voltron. How am I supposed to do that?

"Shiro just disappeared and, to sugar-coat it, Zarkon's still alive," I growled in rage.

_Great. Just, great._

Allura gazed at me reassuringly, "I know it's hard to process. But he's too weak, he can't do anything against us." Apparently, simple words could calm my mind.

As her words lingered through my mind, I tried calming the rage boiling inside me. "What about Shiro? Can you sense _him_?"

"Gladly, yes, I can sense him. He's alive, somewhere." Weight left my shoulders and a smile crept through my lips. "But it's faint, I don't seem to feel where the source of it lies." I relaxed my muscles and smiled —at least he's alive. "However," she spoke loudly, "that's not everything I want to inform you."

Suddenly, Coran had the need to question, "what is it, Princess? Why can't the other Paladins know about this?"

"You'll understand." She neared the center of the universal star-map and we followed close. "As we have noticed, Coran, the Galran Empire still hasn't been defeated entirely. Its troops are still scattered around the Universe and will fight for his honor.

"I suspect they haven't had any connection with Zarkon since we destroyed his ship. We obviously have an advantage against them." She pointed at the coordinates from a planet that I've never been on. "This planet has a prison in their control," she focused on it, "I need you two to go there."

I frowned, "why?"

"I can sense a human," she stared into my eyes, "a female."

"What?" I blurted out —I definitely didn't expect to hear that.

"How could that be!? I thought humans don't have access to technology that leads them to other galaxies!"

"We don't."

"I don't know how this is possible but there's something else I sense in her. She has a different aura from you paladins and it's worrying me." I immediately understood what Allura wanted.

"You want us to rescue her, don't you?"

"Exactly."

"But why only me?"

"I don't want them to know, yet. But I strongly rely on you for this quest."

_Me? Has she forgotten that I'm actually Galra?_

"Won't the Paladins question our whereabouts, Princess?"

"I'll figure something out," she stated. "Now take the red lion and remember, your mission is to retrieve this human, nothing else. Use your stealth and be careful, please."

* * *

"How are we supposed to get through all these guards?" asked Coran but I paid no attention.

_It has no sense whatsoever. How could she have chosen me? Lance is much more reliable than I am, so is Pidge and Hunk. How can they be unreliable for this quest?_

"Paladin, I don't know what you're thinking about right at the moment but you should focus on the quest."

"Yeah, sorry."

_I'll figure it out later, now is not the time._

**Patience yields focus.**

I stopped thinking about the matter and concentrated on the task at hand. I looked back and spotted the red lion. I observed the guards and tried to devise a plan to get in, alongside an escape plan.

"Getting in is the easy part," I muttered to Coran as we neared the Galra base, "I'm unsure of getting out."

If only Pidge was here... She would hack into the systems, locate this woman, get us to her safely and get us out of there in a matter of minutes. But we're on our own.

"Any ideas?" I asked Coran.

"Not really." He, once again, played with his mustache.

"Guess we're going there without one." Coran got alarmed at that statement. "Don't stress, we'll head to the headquarters and try to get some intel," I shifted my attention to the guard post, "We'll go get the woman and from there, we improvise."

"Solid enough."

_Great._

Five guards stood by the entrance while two of them were about to enter the prison and come back out exactly in a minute. Memorizing the pattern of every guard, I figured the easiest way to get in. We had exactly one terrestial minute to get rid of the entrance guards.

"Follow my lead."

I set the chronometer on the suits integrated watch (courtesy of Pidge).

**One, two, three.**

I crouch into a hiding spot nearest to the first guard, close enough to take out, unnoticed. I held my position for five more seconds.

_One down, four to go._

**Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen.**

The other two guards were dangerously near the entrance but I was sure there were no disturbances.

**Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four.**

"Coran," I whisper as we near the other two, "you get the one on the right, I take left."

_Three down, two to go._

"Two of them are about to get out the prison. I'll get the first one, you get the other one." We hid at the entrance corners.

**Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven.**

After the guards were taken care of we got in and tried to figure out which way we had to go. Coran suggested splitting up but I opposed the idea, there is no use if he's the one that gets into the headquarters when he can't access Galra Tech. As we brainstormed, it occurred me to ask Allura. There could be a chance she knew where to lead us, but the idea redeemed to be useless and we were back at square one. We needed something, otherwise, we'll be running in circles. Suddenly, a horrifying scream filled my eardrums. I turned to Coran.

"Did you hear that too?"

"I certainly did. Wait, there it is, again." It sounded weaker, it was leading away from us.

"Should we follow it?"

"We don't have a better plan, do we?"

We followed the source of the scream, destroying any guard that obscured our way and as we neared closer we heard traces of a conversation.

"There's outdated information in this prisoner, it can't be right. Someone must have tampered with her memories." Whispers from another voice followed his declaration that were unintelligible. "I know, there must be something going on. Especially that we can't reach the Emperor and we still haven't notified him about this girl."

As we neared, the voices became louder and clearer. "It's been months since you've had her as a prisoner, what do you think the Emperor will do to you? You've been hiding this human far too long; you'll pay the consequences."

"I know —ugh, she's gaining consiousness—, she'll start screaming again."

Coran and I were awestruck. After all, there was a female human imprisoned by the Galra. I wondered what they did to her since it was clear that delirium controlled her senses. Two guards were dragging her and five guards followed behind. Once they get her into her cell, it will be much harder to get her out of this place. We had to do something _now_.

"We attack them, take the girl and beat it," I suggested to Coran. He nodded in agreement.

The guards that held the girl were at the very front —One and Two. The guard nearest to us —Seven— was behind three guards —Four, Five and Six— whilst the last one —Three— was right behind the girl. There was no way we could go unnoticed.

"Engage in battle," I grinned at my companion and launched for guard number Seven.

The sound alerted the rest of the guards. I shifted my view to the girl and noticed she took the opportunity of the situation. She punched number One and groaned in pain. "That was so much  _harder_  than bones." She groaned in pain once again and got to number Two.

I focused on my opponents and took two of them out as I flung at them with my bayard. Coran struggled with Three and Four. I aided him, destroying Three. Surprisingly, we got rid of the seven guards sooner than I expected.

"Oh my God." I got distracted by a sweet voice and stared at the girl, dazed.

The altean and I approached her.

"Wow, you beat them up with bare fists. We don't see that every day, do we? What do you say, Keith?" She observed us with dubious glares. She tried to mutter something but seemingly couldn't put any words together. Suddenly, she fell to the ground, unconsciousness sipping on her mind. I caught her in my arms instinctively and got the opportunity to study her eyes. She struggled on keeping them open as I steadied her in my arms.

_They're so alluring._

She took a last glance at me and made my heart beat faster than before. "Charming eyes."


End file.
